Optimization of turning process using artificial intelligence technology

In the current work, some experiments were performed based on a design of experiment (DOE) technique called full factorial design. The experimental results are discussed in statistical analysis, and the system was modeled using the artificial neural network (ANN) and subsequently optimized by a genetic algorithm (GA). The statistical analysis shows that the main effects and some 2-interaction effects affect the surface roughness and flank wear. The results show that the feed rate, nose radius, and approach angle have a significant effect on the flank wear and the surface roughness, but the cutting velocity has a significant effect on the flank wear alone. The optimum values of cutting parameters were identified and the resultant optimum values of flank wear and surface roughness were found to be in good agreement with the results of a validation experiment under a similar condition. The optimized values showed a significant reduction in roughness and flank wear.     

Hydrogels from dextran and soybean oil by UV photo‐polymerization

In this work, hydrogels were synthesized by UV photo‐polymerization of hydrophilic dextran functionalized with acrylate groups (Dex‐A) and hydrophobic acrylate epoxidized soybean oil (AESO). The acrylation of dextran was accomplished by reacting dextran (M_w 70,000 g mol^?1) with acryloyl chloride and pyridine. The Dex‐A was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Five rigid hydrogels were prepared using the weight ratios of Dex‐A and AESO as 10/90, 20/80, 30/70, 40/60, and 50/50. The hydrogels were characterized by FTIR, thermal gravimetric analyses (TGA) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The experimental results demonstrated that the swelling and release profiles of the Dex‐A/AESO hydrogels can be tailored by varying the ratio of Dex‐A and AESO thus varying the balance of hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of the network structures and the crosslinking density. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41446.     

New antimicrobial agents: The synthesis of Schiff base polymers containing transition metals and their characterization and applications

A new polymeric Schiff base containing formaldehyde and 2‐thiobarbituric acid moieties was synthesized by the condensation of a monomeric Schiff base derived from 2‐hydroxyacetophenone and hydrazine. Polymer–metal complexes were also synthesized by the reaction of the polymeric Schiff base with Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) acetate. The polymeric Schiff base and its polymer–metal complexes were characterized with magnetic moment measurements, elemental analyses, and spectral techniques (infrared, ¹H‐NMR, and ultraviolet–visible). The thermal behaviors of these coordination polymers were studied by thermogravimetric analysis in a nitrogen atmosphere up to 800°C. The thermal data revealed that all of the polymer–metal complexes showed higher thermal stabilities than the polymeric Schiff base and also ascribed that the Cu(II) polymer–metal complex showed better heat resistant properties than the other polymer–metal complexes. The antimicrobial activity was screened with the agar well diffusion method against various selected microorganisms, and all of the polymer–metal complexes showed good antimicrobial activity. Among all of the complexes, the antimicrobial activity of the Cu(II) polymer–metal complex showed the highest zone of inhibition because of its higher stability constant and may be used in biomedical applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Classification of bananas during ripening using peel roughness analysis—An application of atomic force microscopy to food process

To monitor banana surface (peel) roughness changes during ripening treatment, atomic force microscopy (AFM) as a novel and emerging technique was used in this study. The roughness of banana peel was studied using the arithmetic mean between peaks and troughs (R_a) and the root-mean-square roughness (R_q). It was concluded that with changing the ripening stages, the behavior of the roughness changes significantly. With advancing fruit ripening, the extending of the epicarp and the decrease of the surface (peel) roughness were found due to enlarging of fruit volume. The highest mean roughness was found to be at stage 1, R_a = 8.25 and R_q = 9.65 nm. Based on two-dimensional profile results, the surface (peel) roughness was affected strongly by studied different ripening stages. It was concluded that the peak values in the ripple profiles become smaller with advancing fruit ripening. However, the effects of noise in the profiles appeared to increase. So, in all the initial stages of banana fruit ripening, the noise was found to be minimal. Consequently, the AFM technique was found to be a promising tool for quantification of the peel roughness or glossiness and also could help in the quality control of banana fruit on the nanoscale.     

Development of a multispectral imaging system for online quality assessment of pomegranate fruit

The objective of this study was to develop a prototype multispectral imaging system for online quality assessment on pomegranate fruit. At first, a visible/near infrared spectroscopy (400–1100 nm) was tested for non-destructive determination of total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and pH. The spectral data were analyzed using the partial least square analysis. Then to establish consistent multispectral imaging system, the highest absolute values of β-coeffcients correspond to wavelengths from the best partial least square calibration model were selected and used for identifying the optimal wavelengths. Consequently, a multispectral imaging system was developed based on the effective wavelengths 700, 800, 900, and 1000 nm. The performance of the developed multispectral imaging system was evaluated by multiple linear regression models. The multiple linear regression model predict total soluble solids with r = 0.97, root mean square error of calibration = 0.21°Brix, and ratio performance deviation = 6.7 °Brix. Also, the results showed that the models had good predictive ability for pH and titratable acidity. Results showed that the developed multispectral imaging system based on the optimal wavelengths could be used for online quality assessment of pomegranate fruit.     

Generation of entropy during forced convection of heat in nanofluid stagnation-point flows over a cylinder embedded in porous media

Thermodynamics and heat transfer of an impinging nanofluid flow upon a cylinder with constant surface temperature and embedded in porous media are investigated. Numerical solutions reveal the flow velocity and temperature fields as well as the Nusselt number. These are then used to calculate the rate of entropy generation within the system by viscous and heat transfer irreversibilities. It is demonstrated that changes in the concentration of nanoparticles modify the thermal and hydrodynamic boundary layers and hence can alter the Nusselt number and entropy generation considerably. However, the shear stress on the surface of the cylinder is observed to be less affected by the variations in the concentration of nanoparticles. Further, the Reynolds number and non-uniform transpiration are shown to affect the Nusselt number and entropy generation. It is argued that the influences of Reynolds number on the boundary layer thickness can majorly modify the irreversibility and Bejan number.     

Implementation,calibration and accuracy testing of an image-enhanced endoscopy system

This paper presents a new method for image-guided surgery called image-enhanced endoscopy. Registered real and virtual endoscopic images (perspective volume renderings generated from the same view as the endoscope camera using a preoperative image) are displayed simultaneously; when combined with the ability to vary tissue transparency in the virtual images, this provides surgeons with the ability to see beyond visible surfaces and, thus, provides additional exposure during surgery. A mount with four photoreflective spheres is rigidly attached to the endoscope and its position and orientation is tracked using an optical position sensor. Generation of virtual images that are accurately registered to the real endoscopic images requires calibration of the tracked endoscope. The calibration process determines intrinsic parameters (that represent the projection of three-dimensional points onto the two-dimensional endoscope camera imaging plane) and extrinsic parameters (that represent the transformation from the coordinate system of the tracker mount attached to the endoscope to the coordinate system of the endoscope camera), and determines radial lens distortion. The calibration routine is fast, automatic, accurate and reliable, and is insensitive to rotational orientation of the endoscope. The routine automatically detects, localizes, and identifies dots in a video image snapshot of the calibration target grid and determines the calibration parameters from the sets of known physical coordinates and localized image coordinates of the target grid dots. Using nonlinear lens-distortion correction, which can be performed at real-time rates (30 frames per second), the mean projection error is less than 0.5 mm at distances up to 25 mm from the endoscope tip, and less than 1.0 mm up to 45 mm. Experimental measurements and point-based registration error theory show that the tracking error is about 0.5-0.7 mm at the tip of the endoscope and less than 0.9 mm for all points in the field of view of the endoscope camera at a distance of up to 65 mm from the tip. It is probable that much of the projection error is due to endoscope tracking error rather than calibration error. Two examples of clinical applications are presented to illustrate the usefulness of image-enhanced endoscopy. This method is a useful addition to conventional image-guidance systems, which generally show only the position of the tip (and sometimes the orientation) of a surgical instrument or probe on reformatted image slices.     

Peer sampling gossip-based distributed clustering algorithm for unstructured P2P networks

Clustering, as an unsupervised learning method and an important process in data mining, is an aspect of large and distributed data analysis. In many applications, such as peer-to-peer systems, huge volumes of data are distributed between multiple sources. Analysis of these volumes of data and identifying appropriate clusters is challenging due to transmission, processing and storage costs. In this paper, a gossip-based distributed clustering algorithm for P2P networks called Efficient GBDC-P2P is proposed, based on an improved gossip communicative approach by combining the peer sampeling and CYCLON protocol and the idea of partitioning-based data clustering. This algorithm is appropriate for data clustering in unstructured P2P networks, and it is adapted to the dynamic conditions of these networks. In the Efficient GBDC-P2P algorithm, distributed peers perform clustering operation in a distributed way only through local communications with their neighbors. Our approach does not rely on the central server to carry out data clustering task and without the need to synchronize operations. Evaluation results verify the efficiency of our proposed algorithm for data clustering in unstructured P2P networks. Furthermore, comparative analyses with other well-established distributed clustering approaches demonstrate the superior accuracy of the proposed method.

     

A wideband circularly polarized slot antenna with antipodal strips for WLAN and C‐band applications

A single‐fed circularly polarized square shaped wide slot antenna with modified ground plane and microstrip feed has been presented. The field in the slot is perturbed by introducing an antipodal strips section attached with a microstrip line to produce circular polarization in a wide band of frequencies. The antipodal strip section consists of a group of four strips of unequal length and separation. The presence of asymmetric perturbations in the slot is mainly responsible for exciting two orthogonal modes in the slot having equal magnitude and 90° phase difference which results in circular polarization. A wide bandwidth of 3.3 GHz (4.4 GHz‐7.7 GHz) has been achieved for an axial ratio value AR < 3 dB with the minimum axial ratio value being 0.3 dB. The impedance bandwidth for |S₁₁| < ?10 dB ranges from 4.3 GHz to 8 GHz, and therefore covers most of the C‐band communication systems. The antenna exhibits stable radiation patterns throughout the circular polarization bandwidth with a gain around 6 dBi in entire operational bandwidth. A prototype of antenna was fabricated and measured. The antenna has a planar size 0.40λ₀ × 0.40λ₀ and thickness of 0.02λ₀ where λ₀ is the wavelength in free space at the lowest frequency. With its compact size and low profile, the antenna is a favorable choice for WLAN (5.15‐5.85 GHz) and a wide variety of C‐band wireless applications.